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TLAXCALA, Mexico, March 21, 2022 - After some
years away from the top of the podium in
international beach volleyball, Brazilians
Barbara Seixas and Carol Salgado won the
first-ever Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour event
on Sunday, a Challenge tournament in Tlaxcala,
Mexico.
Partners since 2021, the 35-year-old Barbara, a
silver medallist at the Rio 2016 Olympics, and
the 34-year-old Carol dominated young Dutch
Olympians Raisa Schoon and Katja Stam to a
straight-set (21-19, 21-18) gold medal match
victory at a sold-out Plaza de la Constitucion.
"Being very honest, I don't think we played our
best volleyball at this tournament," Carol said.
"We made too many mistakes and struggled a
little bit with the altitude. But to see that we
still managed to win although there was a lot
going on against us makes me very happy. We had
a lot of patience and helped each other when
things weren't going our way. To be able to pull
off a win at this level when we're not at our
best is such a valuable learning experience. I'm
sure we'll be a lot stronger going forward."
Barbara’s last international beach volleyball
victory took place in May 2018, when former
partner Fernanda Berti and her triumphed in
Huntington Beach. Carol’s wait to return to the
top of the podium was even longer as she had
last taken a gold medal home in August 2017,
when she won in The Hague with Maria Elisa
Antonelli.
The two, who combine for more than 250
appearances and 50 international medals in their
careers, had a nearly perfect week in Tlaxcala,
winning all of their six matches and dropping
just three sets along the way. Barbara now has
eight golds, eight silver and eight bronzes
while Carol has taken home four golds, 13 silver
and ten bronzes in her 18-year international
career.
"It's funny that last season, we came to Mexico
to play three events in Cancun at about the same
time of the year, and it wasn't a good
experience for us," Barbara added. "We still
didn't have an identity as a team but we kept
working and remained confident that we would
improve. It's crazy to think that we're back in
Mexico less than a year later and have just won
a gold medal. It's like going from hell to
heaven in such a short period of time. Our
coaches and us don't take it for granted and
it's great to see that now our team has a face
and that we're going through a very beautiful
path."
The reigning Brazilian champions showed an
excellent game in the final, keeping the
reigning European vice-champions under control
with Carol’s solid blocking, which generated
five points, and Barbara’s efficiency in defence
and in transition.
Brazil occupied an additional spot on the podium
with Elize Maia and Thamela Coradello, who
prevailed over compatriots Taiana Lima and
Hegeile ‘Hege’ Santos in the three-set (18-21,
21-17, 15-9) bronze medal match.
It was the second international medal for the
37-year-old Elize and the 21-year-old Thamela,
who took gold in an FIVB World Tour two-star
tournament in Prague last August.
“Taking bronze here means a lot more than just
winning a medal for us,” Elize reflected. “I see
it as a reward for all the hard work and all the
love I have for beach volleyball. Competing
internationally is not easy. I left my
two-year-old daughter back in Brazil to come
here and play, so winning a medal is extremely
meaningful. And it also gives us the confidence
we can go for more.”
The Beach Pro Tour remains in Mexico for another
week as the competition's first-ever Elite 16
tournament is set to take place in Rosarito from
March 23-27. |
